This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Trucks such as pickups and trucks having a cargo box can be a quite popular type of vehicle because the cargo box enables objects of various sizes to be placed therein and transported. The cargo box pickup generally has a floor surface or bed that is bounded by a forward wall, opposing side walls and a tailgate providing a rearward wall.
Covers can be used to enclose the cargo box to protect the contents against dirt, debris, and other environmental contaminants, and to improve the aesthetic quality thereof. In some cases, the covers can be formed of generally planar sections or panels hingedly coupled together so they can be folded together in a stacked configuration to allow access to the cargo box. The stacked panels typically still leave a portion of the cargo box covered. In some cases the stacked panels can be rotated so the tonneau cover extends upwardly above the truck box and rests against or generally adjacent the rear window of the passenger compartment of the pickup. Although this can reduce the portion of the cargo box affected by the stacked panels, this upwardly extending orientation can result in the tonneau cover partially or completely obscuring the view out the rear window.
Therefore, there exists a need to provide a foldable tonneau cover that is capable of providing sufficient protection to the bed and/or its contents. Moreover, there exists a need to provide a hard tonneau cover that is more easily configured into a stowed position so that the folded, stacked panels do not unnecessarily obscure sightlines through the rear window or access to the truck box.